His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 30: Escape (2)

"Unhand her!" Theo shouts, jumping to his feet.

Faidon sighed, thinking that this was all a waste of his time. Maybe it was to him. After witnessing his speed, I can tell Theo has no chance against the Were. Was he really a Were?

I eye him up and down while trying to wiggle my wrist free. But his grip is steely, almost bruising. "I think your head is going to be put on a spike," I grumble. "You will leave bruises."

Faidon frowned down at me, glancing at his hand. "They’ll heal before Eryx sees them."

If I had a wolf, that might have been the case. I do not. Aghast and annoyed, I stomp on his foot. Faidon quirks a brow at me and shoots his hand out, stopping Theo’s advances and holding him by the throat.

"Let him go!" I demand, putting the air of a Princess on.

When he doesn’t, I do the next best thing to help us—I knee him in the groin. Faidon releases Theo and me, his reflexes quick as he blocks my knee. Theo collapses on the ground, gasping for breath as I back away, glancing into the woods.

"Don’t," Faidon warns like he’s telling off an insolent child or puppy.

I dash towards the woods anyway.

Faidon swears under his breath—well, I think he has because it is in his own tongue- Solfyran. In two strides, he is almost on me. Theo manages to grab his shoulders, halting his advances on me. "Run!" He shouts.

I do. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I pass by trees, their elongated arms curving and almost reaching towards me as my skirts snatch on a few. I don’t stray far into the woods and return to the town ahead, hopping over the wooden fence and landing in an alley, almost slipping on the ice of a puddle.

"Woop!" My hands spray out, legs wide apart, as I regain my balance and glance at the dark alley. Nobody heard my embarrassing yelp. Half running and half gliding along the icy footpath, I skid to a stop, grasping at the brickwork of the building at the end of the alley.

I watch as Theo is flung against a tree, and Faidon walks past him like the ordeal is nothing. He sniffs the air. He starts walking towards the woods, and I slowly creep out from the alley, keeping my sight on the large Southern Were and backstepping until I know it is safe.

Faidon stops when a gust of wind blows against my hood, my hair flowing in Faidon’s direction. The Southern Were’s head snaps in my direction, eyes aglow. I inhale a sharp breath. He’s seen me. Why does this feel like some sort of freaky hide-and-seek game?

Faidon starts marching in my direction, and again, Theo lunges towards him only to be blocked and kicked, the lethal blow tossing him aside like someone batting aside a bug. The poor guy is not very good. Should I give up? I can’t leave without Theo.

With a sigh, shoulders curling in on themselves, I take a step in Faidon’s direction. Faidon’s head swivels to the side a few seconds before a large grey wolf leaps at him. My mouth drops open. Faidon stumbles back, and the wolf’s jaws snap ferociously towards his neck.

"Theo!" I call out as he crawls along the snowy ground, hair a mess. I run to his side, ignoring the ongoing fight between Faidon and the grey wolf. It was the perfect distraction we needed.

Helping Theo to his feet, his arm slung around my shoulders, we stumble away from the two fighting. "Are you okay?" I ask, searching Theo’s slightly muddy and scraped face.

Theo nodded and slowly rose so I didn’t have to carry his weight. "Let’s go before that freakishly strong guy gets to us," he mutters a little irritably.

I’m not sure if Faidon is freakishly strong or just well-trained.

We make it to The Huntsman, and to my utter surprise, a horse and cart await. The lantern hanging by the sign in front of the building indicates it is still open for punters and the like. When we get closer, I can hear men inside. It isn’t loud or rowdy like when I went in there before, but at 3am, it is still busy.

I was sure some hunts begin before first light. The Huntsman was a good meeting point and a convenient place to recover, share intel, and trade.

"I wanted to thank Sverre," I murmur, but when I look down the street, the sound of fighting has stopped, and the grey wolf is running towards us.

It must be one of Deyanira’s guards. "Get in!" Theo growls, dragging me up to the cart.

The cart moves before I am fully inside, and I stumble, grasping onto the rails while some loaded boxes slide back across the wooden ground.

"Stop!" My head turns at the familiar voice, and my heart skips a beat.

"Theo, stop!" I shout and stumble along the cart until I am looking down at Soren. The grey wolf is gone, replaced by my knight, naked, with a stab wound to his shoulder.

"It is you," Soren mutters, looking at my disguise, which is probably falling away now that he knows it is me.

I try not to focus on the wound, aware that it is not vital and he will heal. "Are you here to stop us?" I whisper, searching his hazel-brown eyes.

Soren frowns. "I thought..." He tilts his head, confused. "I thought you were running away from the Alpha Prince’s shadow... He was attacking you."

I’m frozen for a moment as we stare at each other. Realisation creeps into his gaze. "We..."

"You were running away," Soren finishes, hurt flashing across his features, and he clenches his jaw, looking past me to Theo’s back, who sits with the reins.

I swallow thickly, hating the twist in my gut. "Are you here to stop us?"

Soren’s gaze shifts back to me. "No." My brows rise at his answer. He climbs up so we are level and only a foot apart. "I will not help you either. But I gave you my word. I will protect you no matter where you go."

Hurt is still palpable in those dark, golden brown eyes, but his walls slowly shield them, and I step aside. "Theo," I call, plopping myself down on the uncomfortable ground. "Let’s go."

"He’s coming with us?" Theo asks, aghast. "What if there is no more room on the ship?"

"Ship?" Soren’s head swivels to me from his position across from me, his legs already wide apart, bent and taking up most of the room, feet beside either side of my hips. "You plan to cross the seas?"

"Where else can I go without anyone finding me?" I ask.

Soren’s lips clamp together, and he nods with a scowl, clearly disliking this journey. "I’m sure there is enough space on a ship," I comment dryly and sigh, "Let’s go before we are discovered."